The Event ~ Making Cottage Cheese Dinna Kuchen

Cottage cheese dinna kucken is a German dish that my Grandma Gallwas made and my mother made when I was growing up.  I remember my mom making lots of dinna kucken.  Sometimes she would make it with peaches, sometimes with plums, but mostly with cottage cheese and a bit of crushed pineapple.  That was my favorite.  I made it many times in the first 20-35 years of marriage, but I think the last time I made it was probably at least 10 years ago!  My children acquired a taste for it too, and it became one of their favorite memories as well. 

Since Tim and I were again hosting the Stricker family Christmas at our house, I decided to make cottage cheese dinna kuchen as a treat for my children and to try it out on the extended family. 

Following is the recipe, including the sweet roll dough, which can be used for cinnamin/carmel rolls as well.

SWEET ROLL / BREAD DOUGH   (Kuchen recipes follows)

1 cup milk, scald in microwave, pour into mixing bowl, and let cool

1 cup warm water, 2 heaping Tble yeast , 1 tsp sugar dissolved together

Add yeast mixture to cooled milk in mixing bowl.  With beaters, mix  together.

Add 1 ½ cups flour to milk & yeast, mix until smooth, let set 10 minutes.

Beat together 3 eggs, ½ cup oil, ½ cup  sugar, 1 tsp salt.  Add to yeast mixture and mix well.  Add 5-6 cups flour and knead with dough hooks or hands.  Let rise.

Shape into desired shape.  For kucken, below, divide into 9 equal parts.  Cover with towel.  Pat 3 parts into bottom of 3 greased  pie tins.  Let rise.  Then pat up sides of pans.  Let rise again.  Poke dough with fork before adding fillings.  Repeat, 3 pans at a time.

COTTAGE CHEESE  KUCHEN  (From Gr Grandma Gallwas & Grandma Corneliusen)

Cream Mixture for 9 kuchen: 

4 eggs beaten, 2 cups cream, ½ cup sugar, ½ - ¾ cup flour.  Mix  till smooth and medium thin consistency.  Spread cream mixture on dough in pans.  Sprinkle with crushed pineapple and cottage cheese filling (below).

Cottage Cheese filling

6 cups dry cottage cheese  (1# package is 3 cups)

7 eggs beaten

2 ¼ cups cream

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 ¾ cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Mix together above ingredients.  Put crushed pineapple on dough in pans first.  Fill pans with cottage cheese mixture.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mix.  Bake at 350 – 375 till set. 

M-m-m-m.  It is very easy for me to eat a whole pie kuchen by myself.  This was truly an event to make these after such a long hiatus.  Ohm, warm eventful, enjoyful eating for sure!   This recipe should be archived, never to be lost in the line of descendents.  Are you listening, children??